Fines, overdue fees eliminated at Midland library

Council approved changes Monday night; not without controversy

Midland City Council this week approved an ordinance change that eliminated overdue fines and fees at the Grace A. Dow Memorial Library, after a few comments were made by the public in opposition.

In addition to eliminating overdue fines, the price of a non-resident library card was increased by $50 and the library was approved to purchase new checkout systems and software.

Currently, non-resident cards cost $75 per household, per year, however Miriam Andrus, library director, said this was found to be lower than what taxpayers contribute for library services.

So, the price was increased to $125. However, those who don’t live in the library’s legal service area, who are considered non-residents, can still attend events at Grace A. Dow Memorial Library for free and order materials from the Midland library using a free catalog system called MeLCat.

All these changes were initiated by the library board and were made in efforts to better align with the library's vision and mission, in addition to national practices. The ordinance had last been updated in 2007.

The changes that were made this week will take effect Sept. 3, and the new price of a non-resident card will take effect Jan. 1.

Andrus, who presented the changes to the council, argued that library fines and late fees act as barriers to children, low-income households and the elderly, in addition to being discriminatory and punitive. In addition, she said fees and fines deter people from returning to the library.

“We have around 8,000 library accounts that are not currently in use because they have fines and we believe that this is because people are deterred by those late fees that they receive for various reasons,” she said.

She added, “We feel we are preventing access to materials to those who may need them most.”

So, it was library staff’s recommendation to remove the fines and fees. Andrus supported her argument with studies and examples of other libraries that have done the same.

“Many people believe that fines are necessary to ensure the return of library materials,” she said. “There was a study in Colorado that found there’s no significant difference in overdue rates between libraries that charged fines and those that don’t.”

However, six residents spoke at the meeting in opposition to the change, arguing there could be more creative ways to lessen the blow of fines or collect books from patrons. They feared eliminating fees would only mean less accessibility of materials for others, retracting from the goal of removing content barriers.

“Eliminating these overdue fees is an irresponsible use of my tax dollars and city resources," said Midland resident Matt Warakomski. "As a regular library user, I expect the resources to return to the shelves in a timely manner and without these overdue fees, these expensive books, DVDs, CDs can be kept beyond the due date without any consequences.”

Another resident said if there is no late fee, "then a due date is merely a suggestion for when the book should be returned. Even conscientious people will be more likely to push the limits when there is a tough decision to be made, as when returning a library book is a little hard for them. Besides some pesky notes of reminder, there is no actual reason to get the book back by the due date. This is a system that is inconvenient to those who habitually use the library and rely on finding books that are ready for circulating again in a timely fashion.”

Other arguments made were that overdue fines teach children responsibility and accountability.

Retired English teacher and Midland Resident Sarah Yoder said: “Fees foster the development of citizen responsibility. Often a library card is the first adult privilege that many children experience.”

And Midland resident Ron Parmele said: “Fines, in a small way, because they’re small, inject some personal responsibility in young children as well as adults.”

Andrus did note there would be repercussions for not returning content to the library — just not in the form of late fees.

She responded to the public comments that were made, stating that the issue is one of philosophical debate.

“A lot of this is philosophical debate, even among librarians because it all goes down to how we raise our kids,” she said. “I mean really this is what is at the crux of this. I believe it is parents’ responsibility to teach children responsibility, not institutions. Our mission at the library is not to teach responsibility within the community, it is to provide accessibility.”

Ultimately, the council voted to approve the changes, trusting Andrus’s recommendation.

“I am deferential to our staff member, who’s a professional librarian," said Councilman Steve Arnosky. "... Her responsibility is not only for fiscal responsibility, but for making sure that we provide service for the community — that’s on her shoulders. So, this is a bit of her sticking her neck out in terms of her performance and her management of the library. So, my inclination is to give her that chance to succeed or fail. Now, I hope that doesn’t come as a cost to the community."

The vote was 4-1, with Councilwoman Pamela Hall voting in opposition of the ordinance change.